CELEBRATING OUR RANCHING HISTORY
As the role of the Friends of The Bar U Historical Ranch Association is to support heritage education, programs and preservation at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, it became obvious that some form of fundraising event was necessary if the Association was to meet its mandate to provide improvements and support to the Ranch.
The Stockmen’s Dinner idea grew out of the CPR’s decision in 1993 to stop sponsoring the annual Rangemen’s Dinner in Calgary, which honoured the families who worked the southern Alberta range prior to 1900. The Friends of the Bar U picked up the torch and since its inception, the Stockmen’s Dinner has honoured ranch families from along the foothills of southern Alberta. The first Stockmen’s Dinner organized by the Friends of the Bar U was held on January 28, 2000 at the Heritage Inn in High River. The guest speaker was Leonard Friesen from Airdrie, and Jim Baker from Stavely was the M.C.
The second Stockmen’s Dinner was again held at the Heritage Inn in High River, and the guest speaker was Hugh McLennan from Penigan Lake, B.C. Mike McLean was the M.C. Honoured that night were 4 segments of the cattle industry: Veterinarians were represented by Dr. Don Moore, Auctioneers by Bruce Flewelling, Brand Inspectors by Wayne Daye, and Truckers by Alan Kemery.
With the success and popularity of the Stockmen’s Dinners, the Friends’ Board of Directors decided to make the event even more significant to our history, by honouring pioneer ranching families from the original boundaries of the Bar U Ranch: the Bow River south to the Oldman River, and west of Highway 2. With this in mind, a larger venue would be needed, which resulted in all subsequent dinners being held at the Highwood Memorial Centre in High River from 2002 onward.
The Annual Stockmen’s Dinner has continued to be a very popular and successful fundraising event for the Friends of the Bar U every year since then.
Through the years
Below, please find a complete and current list of our honoured families by year.
We work to keep the spirit of the Bar U alive. As a registered non-profit organization, the Friends work to further public awareness and understanding of the site, and to protect it for the benefit, education and enjoyment of present and future generations.
We work to keep the spirit of the Bar U alive. As a registered non-profit organization, the Friends work to further public awareness and understanding of the site, and to protect it for the benefit, education and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Get tickets
Date: January 25th, 2025
If you would like to purchase tickets for this event, please fill out the form below and we will be in touch. Payment can be made via e-transfer to accounting@friendsofthebaru.com, or payment may be taken by phone by calling Kathy Nelson (403-395-3993) or Shelagh Weston (403-804-7118). If you prefer e-transfer, please indicate your full name/names of ticket holders in the e-transfer message.
DONATIONS
The Friends of the Bar U are stewards of the Bar U Ranch: promoting understanding of the history of ranching and demonstrating historical ranching practices. We thankfully accept denominations of any amount to further our mission and protect the legacy of the Bar U Ranch and what it represents.
Ways to give:
Donations are accepted to the Friends of the Bar U Legacy Fund through the Calgary Foundation (QR code below)
E-transfer to: accounting@friendsofthebaru.com
Cheques made payable to:
Friends of the Bar U Historic Ranch Association
P.O. Box 82
Longview, Alberta
T0L 1H0